On Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s 48th birthday, here are some of his throwback photos

Dwayne Johnson is one of the precious few professional wrestlers who made a fruitful transition to Hollywood. One of the most bankable actors in Hollywood right now, Johnson has carefully chosen characters that suit his persona and abilities. He is part of several successful film franchises and will be joining the genre of movies that is most profitable right now -- comic-book movies. Though he is known for his wrestling career and movies, few know he was also a promising football (the North American one) prospect. As he celebrates his 48th birthday today, have a look at some of his older photos. (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Calgary Stampeders/Instagram/Twitter)

Johnson captioned this photo of himself as a teenager, "#flashbackfriday to that special time when I was a 15yr old punk kid, 6’4, barely 200lbs, creepy mustache and forced to leave Hawai’i to live in Nashville, TN - where I just enrolled in a new high school - and EVERYONE (students and teachers) treated me like I had the plague and stayed away because they were all convinced I was an undercover cop👮🏽‍♀️ True story. I had a WILD and unbelievable life and journey as a kid and teenager. Kickin’ puberty’s ass from day 1. #PornstacheJohnson #YoureUnderArrest." (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram)

The Rock put up this photo of himself as a baby. He was seven months old back then. (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram)

This photo of Dwayne Johnson is already famous and is usually cited by his friends and fans to lightly tease him. "Fanny pack and lean take it to a whole other level... #90sRock #WTF #BuffLesbian," Johnson wrote in the caption. (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram)

The 22-year-old Johnson giving his autograph to his fan during an Orange Bowl match. (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram)

As mentioned above, Johnson had a dream to be a professional football player. In the caption of this photo, he joked that he may not have achieved his dream to play in NFL, but he surely never missed a meal. (Photo: Dwayne Johnson/Instagram)

Johnson was on practice roster of Calgary Stampeders. The official Twitter handle of the team uploaded this picture. (Photo: Calgary Stampeders/Instagram)